Daniel 3
Faithful through the Fire!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, July 31.
King Nebuchadnezzar built a statue of a golden image, declaring his dominance and enforcing his rule over the Babylonian kingdom. All were commanded to worship the monument or face his wrath through the fire (Daniel 3:1-7). Although Daniel is notably absent from this story, his three friends, Shadrach, Meshech, and Abed-nego, were brought forward because they refused to worship, and after the king threatened them with certain death, they said to him in Daniel 3:17-18, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Daniel’s absence emphasizes that the prophet is never the hero of the story; it’s always God! In this case, God showed up at the most dramatic moment, as the Fourth in the blazing furnace to rescue His three faithful witnesses and to elevate His glory above the idol (19-30). As the king confessed in verse 29, “there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.” This points to Jesus Christ, who, in John 11, could have rescued his friend Lazarus prior to his death, but instead arrived on the scene when he was already in the burial cave, saying to him, “Lazarus, come forth” (43), then to the crowd, “Unbind him, and let him go” (44). Just like with the obviously divine rescue of Shadrach, Meshech, and Abed-nego from certain death, this led to an even greater worship of the one true God.
Seize the moment and be faithful through the fire! It is through difficult times of testing that our faith is the most visible and our witness is the brightest.
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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